Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2005 [Big Cypress National Preserve]

Author unknown

A summary of fire ecology activities and program information for the Park/network including fire effects plot workload, staffing, management objectives and monitoring results, and planning, fire monitoring, communications, and research. Also included are staff accomplishments/areas of focus, future program direction and other optional information (e.g. data analysis graphics or presentations, annual highlights, publications, program challenges, unique solutions to problems, collaboration, photographs of monitoring/fire activities, and suggestions on FFI). The calendar year 2005 was a year of change for Big Cypress National Preserve. We began the year without a Fire Management Officer, Prescribed Fire Specialist, and two monitor positions. The prescribed fire staff included two GS-7 technicians who spent most of January and February working on Fire Program Analysis (FPA). Since both technicians did not have any formal training on FPA, many meetings were attended to get acquainted with the FPA database. The two vacant monitor positions were filled in May and August, with the Prescribed Fire Specialist starting in July. Only two prescribed burns were accomplished in 2005, for a total of 4,244 acres. Immediate post-burn data were collected on one fire effects plot, and 34 visits were made to the photo points. Since Big Cypress was put on hold from prescribed burning, staff was available to help the Panther Wildlife Refuge and Everglades National Park with their prescribed burns and wildfires. There were numerous preserve shutdowns this year due to hurricanes, and staff was available for hurricane recovery assignments to the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Hurricane Wilma, here in South Florida, required a good deal of clean-up, which occupied much of the month of November. A Fire Effects meeting between Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, and the Panther Wildlife Refuge was rescheduled three times due to Hurricane details. It has yet to be rescheduled, but will most likely occur within the first couple months of 2006.